Parole officers worry about extra workload from early release plan

Wednesday

Sep 23, 2009 at 12:01 AMSep 23, 2009 at 11:00 PM

The early release of 1,000 inmates will place greater demands on Illinois parole agents who already have plenty to do by juggling caseloads of more than 100 ex-prisoners apiece, a union official and parole agent says.

Adriana Colindres

The early release of 1,000 inmates will place greater demands on Illinois parole agents who already have plenty to do by juggling caseloads of more than 100 ex-prisoners apiece, a union official and parole agent says.

"It is going to be more time-consuming," said Matt Lukow, president of Local 1964 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents about 600 state workers and includes about 40 parole agents in central Illinois.

Parole agents will need to closely supervise inmates who get out of prison early, Lukow said.

"We basically have to make sure they're not out running amok," he added. "Hopefully, the agents are up to it. I think in general they are."

The released prisoners will be considered inmates, not parolees, and must follow stricter rules than parolees, Lukow said. For instance, the released inmates will be outfitted with electronic ankle bracelets and will be prohibited from drinking alcohol or doing drugs.

Illinois Department of Corrections officials on Friday unveiled plans to implement an early-release program for 1,000 non-violent inmates who have less than a year remaining on their sentences. Most of the eligible inmates will come from the agency's transition centers and minimum-security facilities.

Inmates won't be eligible if they've committed homicide or a sex offense, if they have a history of violent crimes or domestic violence or if they're the subject of an active order of protection.

At a time when the agency must contend with state budget cuts, Corrections officials estimate the move will save more than $5 million a year in food, clothing and other costs associated with serving inmates.

That $5 million figure doesn't take into account the $2 million that Gov. Pat Quinn set aside so the department can line up drug treatment programs and other community-based resources for the released inmates. Quinn also allocated another $2 million for a program to keep non-violent offenders out of prison by sending them into community-based programs.

Corrections officials have said parole agents will be able to handle the extra cases coming their way because of the early-release program.

But Rep. Dennis Reboletti, an Elmhurst Republican who formerly worked as a prosecutor, disagrees.

"They're already overworked," Reboletti said of the state's 400 or so parole agents. "You're just going to stretch them even thinner than they are."

Lukow said the average parole agent in central Illinois carries a caseload of 110 to 120 parolees, checking in once a month with about half of them, especially if they've had substance-abuse problems or recent run-ins with the law. Parole agents have regular, but less frequent, contact with other parolees.

Agents spend most of their time in the field, making unannounced, random visits to parolees at their homes or workplaces, he added.

Corrections officials already have begun the process of deciding which inmates will be eligible for early release.

The plan is winning praise from Hanke Gratteau, executive director of the John Howard Association of Illinois, a prison watchdog organization.

Non-violent offenders are better off getting the services they need, such as drug treatment or educational programs, in the community, rather than behind bars, she said. They're also more likely to stay out of trouble in the future.

Sangamon County State's Attorney John Schmidt said he has no opinion on the early-release program, though he called it an indication of the state's limited resources.

"I think it demonstrates how precious bed space is at the Department of Corrections," he said.

Peoria County State's Attorney Kevin Lyons said he isn't convinced that the program will be a money saver for the state.

"They're not going to save on bricks and mortar," he said. "They're not going to save on electricity."

He predicted that one of the former inmates eventually would commit a crime so serious that it would "close the door" on the early-release program.

Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292 or adriana.colindres@sj-r.com.

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